Slowly
by SapphireGauntlet
Summary: Emotions and motives are not always so clear. And sometimes you only find out in time.


**AN: Hello, I have briefly returned from my fanfic hiatus. I will be honest I have been reading some SamScam fanfics when my brain needs a break from cases, articles and the stress of recitations. This is just a brief return though so after this post I will be returning back in hiatus because its my final exams. I will be correcting my grammatical errors in "Where the blood runs" during my Xmas break (lol is it even a break when you have to digest 40 plus cases?). This is not in the universe of "Where the blood runs" I actually just wrote this to help me remember my legal maxims for my Statutory construction subject (hopefully I pass). Also I'll be honest, I miss posting about SamScam. Btw forgive me if its of low quality, I made this in my hallucinating moments when I stay up late at night.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Totally Spies. If I did , Tim Scam would have more scenes.**

 _ **Verba Legis non est referendum**_ – _From the words of the statute there should be no departure._

Browsing through the pages of her textbook, she tries…tries…then tries again. Her eyes are steadily closing on their own before she rapidly opens them. Determined to keep them awake.

This time around her reason for her sleepiness has changed.

She can no longer blame it on the secret missions that would take its toll. As far as her boss was concerned, they've saved the world and the eradication of the villain gene meant that they could live.

Live, breathe, relax, they no longer had the world on their shoulders.

But somehow, she wasn't used to simply relaxing for long, no matter how lazy she got. And while she is fascinated and interested in the words of her professors…her mind wondered of thinking of her boss' decision to release the prisoners who were deemed to have changed.

What puzzled her boss was the lack of effect in one particular inmate.

One with whom she had a history that she never admitted to her boss. He didn't need to know she had feelings for him. And even if he did know, her boss could just wave it off as an innocent infatuation…

…an infatuation of someone who was going to kill him and then the rest of the world.

But if the whole world had changed from their actions involving the villain gene…can it be that maybe he didn't have it to start with?

He wasn't released, he escaped. He did it after their last mission.

"You know why I wasn't affected. And you know why Jerry didn't bother to send out a team to arrest me.

The villain gene, was a mutated gene that are present in all the crazy wacko's who had varying degrees mentally illness. These 'villains' that you've eradicated are simply people who were 'fixed' by your machine. Sure now they might have normal lives, but that just stops those with capacity to take responsibility. After all as long as nobody gets hurt, nobody will give a damn. That's the way our society works, even if you and your friends will never admit it. I doubt your friends will even understand the true implications of what you and Jerry have done. – Tim Scam."

 _ **Absoluta sententia expositore non indiget**_ _– When the language of the law is clear, no explanation of it is required._

He knew it was a risk sending that letter to her. Right now he wonders if he should've done something else.

But he was limited in resources. And sometimes the most simple methods covers up your tracks nicely when people could easily track you through your e-mail.

But either way, he did not regret sending her a letter. Probably because he never had any regrets when it came to her. Even when early on he tried to kill her.

He ruled on the feelings of anger and hatred. These were the only fuel to his fire brought out by the injustice he felt. He didn't feel the need to change when it just worked so well.

It was only later, after he tried to kill her with her own brainwashed mother that he had calmed himself down.

Realized what an impulsive move that was.

And really look at his feelings towards the auburn haired agent.

It was then that he observed…how much alike they were.

How nearly no matter what team they were on, they had the burden to be the brains and to lead or they would end up nowhere. The way they could understand the beauty of abstract concepts and easily see its uses nearly everywhere. The sarcasm they would both spit out on things that didn't really matter or things they really disliked.

He sees her enter in the café, a textbook on her hand and his letter on the other. He knew it was his because of the red envelope he used to disguise it among the valentine's day decorations that her friends had decorated in their dorm.

"Mind if I sit?" She asks politely. Although he could hear that she was asking out of courtesy.

"If I did, why would I bother inviting you in my postscript?" He loved her face when she was annoyed.

She made to move to sit across him. They were in a comfortable but secluded area.

"Why did you send me that letter? Why did you even -"

"It was an assurance that you knew of the implications of your actions…and what's a guarantee that it will last? Are you going to assume that it would work just like that?" he can't help but smirk when he saw how she's putting up a front…

…but they both knew he was right.

 _ **Dura lex sed lex**_ _– The law may be harsh but that is the law._

"But why me? What did you expect would happen? That I would tell Jerry about it because he wouldn't listen to you or that we'll become spies again?"

"Not really. But you'd better leave before Jerry drags you down with him." She suspects that he is up to something. Only this time she can't really tell if it was necessarily bad.

"It would be a shame if your talents were wasted, not allowed to really stretch."

"You make it sound so easy for me to leave Jerry."

"It was easy for me – an unjust incident was my ticket out of there."

"Jerry is attached to me and you know it. Even right now when it seems we're not needed…" she takes a deep breath to calm herself down. Feeling his eyes on her, she can't believe that she was admitting it to him of all people.

Looking up she sees the knowing look on his face. The smirk that was starting to appear. He was daring her to say the reality that nobody wanted to admit…at least not if they wanted to keep their jobs or not to depart with red on the ledger.

"Jerry is the law when it comes to WOOHP. Whatever he wants is whatever will happen."

"And now we're finally getting somewhere."

"You watch it Scam. Be thankful he's the type for correction and not punishment."

"You said it yourself, Jerry is the law. No matter how harsh or stupid his demands, he is still WOOHP's law."

 _ **Ejusdem generis**_ _– Of the same kind or specie_

It was a shame that she had to leave. But she was starting to see things his way. And soon…it won't be long before they are together the way he wants them to.

He wouldn't call it controlling her.

Everything that he did right now, was a subtle courtship for a woman like Sam.

She was so, much like him. More than what she was willing to admit. Their intelligence, their interests…

…even the way they ticked. Their attraction to a certain type of person.

It was no wonder his attraction sparked after her confession in the space pod. He had always been aware of his own attractiveness to the opposite sex. He didn't even bat an eye when he noticed how she was gushing about him in the Paris department store. He even felt smug when she still offered him that jacket that the card tore up.

But he never expected for her to actually speak up about it. To actually admit it to him even if her confession was about how much of a jerk he is and how she regrets falling for his charms that were a fraud.

Normally a woman would let him know of their feelings for him for the purposes of winning him over for either a night or for a relationship. There was always something that they wanted in return.

But not her, she knew at that moment that she had nothing to gain.

It was a raw and honest confession whose only purpose was catharsis just before death.

She only admitted her feelings for him and then had stated that he was a jerk, expecting nothing from him.

Except maybe to place him in jail.

Looking back, as well as looking at her right now as she studies in solitude in the public library. His attraction for her …was no longer simply just that.

 _ **Expressio unius est exclusio alterius**_ _– Express mention of a person, thing or consequence implies the exclusion of all others._

She wonders, wonders why she cannot bring herself to fully move on. Why it seemed like every male seems such a disappointment to her in some way or the other.

And yet a part of her already knew why.

The man that she wanted, was someone who made a fool of her from his deceit.

It was made even worse when she became vulnerable to someone who was similar to him. It seemed like she didn't learn her lesson the first time around.

The second incident cemented that lesson stronger in her.

Only there was a third and a fourth.

But everyone no matter how attractive they were to her did not measure up to the original. A secret that she planned on taking to the grave.

How ironic it was then that they were now secretly meeting up from time to time. For what? She thought initially it was for him to pressure or even dare WOOHP to go after him when a significant amount of villains have been automatically reformed from the evil villain gene knowing they can't. And if they want to avoid conflicts with him, they would leave him alone. As they continued to meet up, it was about how she ( after a hard bargain with him) and her friends could insure that should WOOHP need spies, they wouldn't turn to them and allow them to live their lives.

"Have you even asked them?"

"No…but I just wanted to give them an option."

"They're better off without it. It's you whom Jerry wants to keep a spy-don't you deny it, Sam." He saw her face with doubt. After all she and her friends were a team, a package deal. They worked for WOOHP as a team and nothing else.

"Why do you think among the three of you, Jerry selected you to do the Jazz Hands mission alone?" She chose not to comment. But by the look on his face, they both knew what he said was right.

More meetings afterwards she began to forget the reason why they still met up. He had already given her how to remove herself from WOOHP's grasp. And while she did not have the courage to ask her friends if they wanted to follow, all they had to do was say the word and she would get them out.

For someone like Scam to continue whatever it is they have was a surprise. And she had no doubt that he was up to something.

 _ **Casus omissus pro omisso habendus est**_ _– A person, object or thing omitted from an enumeration must be held to have been omitted intentionally._

She didn't know it, but she was starting to open up in his presence little by little. Ever since they've started communicating like this, he felt smug whenever to make things easier for other people to leave them alone, they had to act as a couple. How else would the staff of a restaurant or a café would give them the privacy they needed. She was annoyed but he could also tell by her occasional blushes she also enjoyed it as much as he was.

To her, his motives for continuing these little meetings were a mystery. A puzzle she tries to solve by maintaining the status quo.

To him, this was a slow and steady burn to build up the feelings she already has for him in order to give him a chance to be in her affections as himself and not the character he lured her at the start.

Soon it was her graduation. And by that point both of them had started to be at ease to each other. They were able to pull off being a couple for everyone else to give them privacy.

Maybe it was because at some point they did so informally. She no longer scooted away whenever he would brush their legs together. Just like how he got used to her sleeping on his shoulder whenever they went to a movie house because she was so tired from all of the work she had to place in her final year.

And as they continued after she graduated and when she began to venture into her own way, he followed her.

And slowly they started to make things official.

To finally say what has long been unsaid.

 _ **Reddendo singula singulis**_ _– Referring each phrase or expression to its appropriate object; or let each be put in its proper place._

She was startled when he showed her his place in Massachusetts. It was near enough for her daily travel to Harvard but far enough to give them privacy from her days in Med school.

"Now you don't need to worry about board and lodging." He says close to her ear as she feels him running a hand up and down her spine.

"For someone who works from his house in the CIA you would think I might distract you from your work."

"I have more self-control than that and you know it."

"And why should I believe you?"

"If I didn't, I would have done this years ago." And before she knew it, their mouths met and he pressed their bodies together. His mouth, much like it's owner was persuasive. And before she knew it, she was responding back.

She woke up the next morning on his bare chest and him caressing her bare back.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" She feels him smile against her head.

"Would you be my girlfriend or fianceé?" She snorted in disbelief as his tone was teasing.

"Tim I'm serious."

"And so am I." His eyes look straight into hers.

"I want to marry you, but I won't pressure you to say yes now." He places a kiss on her neck near her ear.

"We just slept together and you're giving me a hickey where it could be seen by everyone else-"

"You can cover it with makeup and pretend you're not taken."

"For what's it worth, I think I've been your girlfriend long enough." She said sighing as he moved to bite the spot he had just been kissing and sucking. She felt him move to her ear.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"The wedding will be after I graduate. That's my condition." She smiled against his lips as their bodies began to celebrate everything falling into place.

 _ **Pari Materia**_ _– Relating to the same manner_

The wedding apart from close family and friends was a simple affair. They didn't feel the need to make it into an extravagant affair. As promised it was months after her graduation.

A mostly happy marriage in retrospect. From the outside, their lives were dull and boring compared to the time when they were enemies.

But to them, it was relative bliss and peace compared to their early days.


End file.
